Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (LHCH) has received an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the second time the hospital has received the prestigious rating.

LHCH became the first specialist Trust in the country to be awarded an ‘Outstanding’ rating in September 2016 and has now received the highest accolade available from CQC in consecutive inspections.

A team of CQC Inspectors visited the Trust in January and February 2019 to examine its services and clinical pathways in surgery, and to inspect whether the Trust was ‘well-led’.

The CQC published its rating in July, with LHCH now becoming one of only five NHS providers to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating twice.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Council of Governors, Neil Large, LHCH Chairman, and Jane Tomkinson, Chief Executive, paid tribute to the Trust’s 1,600 staff and volunteers: “We’re very proud to have been awarded this top rating for a second successive time.”

They added that: “The CQC inspection process is rigorous and rightly challenging, and this rating pays testament to the dedication, skill and professionalism of staff in every ward and department at LHCH.”

Key findings from the report:

  • staff cared for patients with compassion
  • there was a genuinely open culture in which all safety concerns raised by staff, patients and carers were valued as being integral to learning and improvement
  • technology was used innovatively to ensure people have timely access to treatment, support and care
  • patients were respected and were empowered as partners in their care, practically and emotionally, by an exceptional and distinctive service
  • there was a strong collaboration, team working and support across all functions and a common focus on improving the quality and sustainability of care and people’s experiences.
  • patients thought that staff went the extra mile and their care and support exceeded their expectations
  • services were tailored to meet the needs of individuals

Read the full CQC report www.lhch.nhs.uk or: http://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RBQ